Naruto Senju (anh689)
Naruto Senju (せんじゅナルト, Senju Naruto) is a legendary shinobi from Konohagakure, and the head of the revived Senju clan, once thought to be extinct after the death of Nawaki, Grandson of Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage. He became the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails on the day of his birth — a fate that caused him to be ostracized by most of Konoha throughout his childhood. But after his meteoric rise through the shinobi ranks, and the revelation of his heritage as the descendant of three previous Hokage, general opinion changed about him among the village populace. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, flee-on-sight orders were given to enemy shinobi should they see him, gaining him the status of a war hero throughout the Land of Fire. Background Contrary to popular belief, Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage, did not die before ensuring his legacy. Unbeknownst to all but Hiruzen Sarutobi, Danzo Shimura, Kagami Uchiha, Koharu Utatane, Homura Mitokado and Torifu Akimichi, Tobirama Senju had secretly married Tōka Senju to ensure the survival of the Senju line. This resulted in the birth of Minato Namikaze soon after the Second's death at the hands of the Kinkaku force. With the death of his mother during childbirth, Minato was left an orphan. In order to protect him from those who would see to his death, the newly instated third Hokage changed his name to Namikaze, to protect the only child of his beloved sensei. Before Minato's selection as Hokage, soon after the end of the Third Shinobi World War, the Third informed both the future Fourth Hokage and the general populace about his heritage, resulting in a tremendous outcry of support for Minato as Hokage. Minato himself was shocked yet ecstatic at knowing he wasn't a normal orphan but the son of the Second Hokage. He married Kushina Uzumaki and had a son, Naruto Senju on October 10, yet tragedy struck in the form of the nine-tails rampaging through the village, resulting in the deaths of the couple, leaving their only child an orphan. Despite Minato's dying wish to see his son heralded as a hero, only the Third Hokage and a small number of the villagers could put their pain of loss aside and honour this request. The majority of Konoha, consumed with bitterness over the lives lost and destruction in the wake of the Nine-Tails' attack, resented Naruto for it — unable to separate the beast from the boy — and with some even seeing him as the fox itself. In the interest of protecting Naruto and in the hope that the younger generations would not emulate this position, Hiruzen passed a decree of secrecy that strictly prohibited the adults from divulging Naruto's status as a jinchūriki. This policy was not entirely effective, as even without knowing why, many of Naruto's peers followed their parent's example and shunned him. Desperate to see Naruto have a loving childhood, the Third gambled with Naruto's life, risking the wrath of his ancestor's enemies and revealed the secrets surrounding Naruto's birth to the village, hoping the populace would see their errors in misjudging the boy. The plan worked, and the resentment stopped. In order to better protect Naruto, Hiruzen adopted him into the Sarutobi clan as its ward, leaving Naruto to be raised alongside an infant Konohamaru by Hiruzen's widowed daughter. The boy himself was overjoyed to realise that he was a part of a line of heroes, not a spawn of evil. One day in his office, soon after Naruto's fifth birthday, Hiruzen was given a flower by the young child in a show of love. Upon inquiring where Naruto got the flower from, his interest got piqued when the child claimed he grew it himself. Unsure how a five year old could know basic botany without any prior training, he was shocked to see Naruto grow one right before his eyes. Seeing the tell tale signs of Hashirama Senju's Mokuton before him, Hiruzen consulted with the Elders, before enrolling the boy in the shinobi academy on the very next day, a year earlier than planned, much to the joy of the young Senju. Quickly proving himself to be a natural prodigy rivaling the likes of Orochimaru, Itachi Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake and even his own father, Minato Namikaze, Naruto graduated at the top of his class at age 6 and was soon placed in a Genin team under Aoba Yamashiro. At age 8 he took part in the Chūnin Exams and was granted the rank on his first attempt. During the exams, Elder Danzo Shimura and the other Elders noticed that the boy was very naive to the ways of the shinobi world, and pushed Hiruzen to take him under his direct wing. Hiruzen refused, bitter over Danzo's role in the Uchiha Massacre. However, he countered their proposal by taking on Naruto as his official apprentice, shocking the three Elders. Upon being asked why, he answered that he wouldn't let the legacy of the Senju be wasted away; an answer that greatly pleased Danzo. As soon as he became Chunin, Naruto applied for Anbu and passed the competency exam under the direct, personal surveillance of the Anbu Commander himself, after which he was directly drafted into Sigma Squad - the Hokage's personal bodyguard unit which had been vacant since the death of the Fourth Hokage. As his personal aide and assistant, Naruto would follow Hiruzen everywhere as his own shadow; from his personal quarters to meetings with the Fire Daimyo himself. Unbeknownst to Naruto, this was all part of Hiruzen's long term goal to prepare Naruto as his successor to the seat of Hokage. Appearance As stated by Jiraiya, Naruto bears a striking resemblance to his father, having Minato's blue eyes and blond, spiky hair. From his mother, Naruto inherited the shape of both her eyes and face. Naruto's most prominent physical characteristics, however, are the three whisker markings on his cheeks. He is taller than the average person of his age, and sports a toned, yet slim figure achieved due to years of intense training and his time spent in Anbu. Like most Anbu, he wears a simple blue suit with a grey flak jacket, with a sword strapped to his back, strapped up sandals, arm guards, and plated gloves that went up to his elbows. His Anbu mask resembles a fox's face with red and black markings around the eyes, sides, and mouth. While off duty, however, Naruto wears an orange sweatshirt with black stripes, along with black pants and sandals, leading to a running gag throughout the story that orange isn't the color of an Anbu, something which his squad members and colleagues alike make sure to point out as frequently as possible, much to the dismay of the Senju.